10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me by Carlo De Vito

Author:Carlo De Vito
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-26T16:00:00+00:00

BOY MEETS DOG

Nancy tried to lower my expectations before I went up to her home in Connecticut. Spike was a problem child. He had been sold by a reputable breeder to a hunter who did not mention that the dog was destined for an older woman who didn’t really want him. Three months later, she gave the dog to another man. Spike ended up being chained to a stake in the ground by a length of no more than 3 feet. Eventually, he escaped this home and was hit by a car. He was treated and returned to his stake in the ground. He escaped again and became feral. He then picked up Lyme disease. He eventually ended up in the Trenton animal control center, where they contacted the shorthair rescue group.

Joan Tabor and Judy Marden, both top Eastern shorthair breeders and rescue volunteers, took turns nursing Spike back to some semblance of health. They had tracked down his breeder, his former owners, and his vet records, scant as they were. They got him caught up on his shots and started trying to train him. Spike was making a nice recovery. Judy had a soft spot for Spike. A well-published expert, she was also the wife of former AKC president Ken Marden. Judy had spent a lot of time with Spike.

Somewhere along the way, he had been shown a couple of times, with some success. Spike came from great bloodlines and was supposedly a handsome dog. However, he had one serious aversion that would put a halt to show biz dreams—he hated being crated. Crating, which seems somewhat horrible to a great many people, is actually a very natural lifestyle choice for dogs, which reinforces their desire for a den. I have since seen many dogs happily race toward their crates, their dens, when crating has been made a positive experience for the dog. Any accomplished show dog must become accustomed to spending time in a crate because of the great amount of time spent on the road.

Judy and Nancy both tried to break him of this aversion, but were met with little success. Apparently Spike was unchangeable in his feelings toward crates. No matter the number of hours Spike was left in a crate, he would bark for the entire time the door was closed.

“Just when I thought we had him, he started barking all over again,” Nancy said. She was ready to give up. The fact that Spike had defeated two tough women like Judy and Nancy certainly gave me pause, though I said nothing to either of them. Nancy was especially not someone to be trifled with. And I didn’t want to give her any reason to doubt my intentions.

This dog needed a strong owner, Nancy told me. “I know you. I haven’t met you yet, but I know you. You cannot be this dog’s friend. I know you want someone to play with, but this dog needs a strong owner. He needs discipline. You need to be in control.

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